On TV

IT seems inconceivable that the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus went ahead despite the tragedy of dozens of fans crushed to death before the match started. But play they did.

The game kicked off two hours late with many fans and players ignorant of the extent of the incident. The bodies of the dead were laid in a row on the ground outside the stadium so no-one could see them.

This documentary, 20 years after the tragedy, told how the face of English soccer changed as a result and of how Mrs Thatcher very nearly killed the game.

The beautiful game was anything but beautiful at the Belgian stadium as the global TV audience watched live pictures of the tragedy. British hooligans chased Italian supporters on the terraces, a wall collapsed and 39 people died in the ensuing crush.

This examination of the day heard from players and those who lost relatives as well as politicians involved in the aftermath.

The authorities didn't want to cancel the game and risk disgruntled fans roaming the streets in search of trouble. Players felt obliged to do as they were told, whether they agreed or not. Liverpool captain Phil Neal recalled: "The players were crying, tears dripping down. People had died, I just wanted to get the hell out of there."

That wasn't allowed. He even had to go out and address fans in a bid to calm the situation.

"Thirty nine people lying outside the stadium while we played a game of football. It should not have been played," said former Liverpool player Jim Beglin.

The decision was as misguided as the woeful facilities at the match. Police couldn't call reinforcements from outside the ground as their walkie-talkies didn't work. There was only one doctor on duty.

The stadium itself was dilapidated. It wasn't suitable for such a big sporting occasion. London fire chief Gerry Clarkson said so in his report. He reiterated on this programme that the deaths were attributable largely to the state of the stadium. It was a death trap, he said.

No-one was very interested in what he had to say. His report was filed away and forgotten. The hooligans would take the blame for shaming the country, Mrs Thatcher had decided.

She would, it was suggested, have banned football altogether if she could have. The Football Association didn't endear itself by claiming it wasn't their problem, but a social problem.

Keeping English clubs out of Europe led to a decline in the game's profile. That and the Hillsborough tragedy four years later - when, ironically, Liverpool fans were crushed to death on the terraces - accelerated the reform of English football. The Premiership was launched and the game repackaged as exciting family entertainment. It became the national passion instead of the national shame.

But the memory of Heysel remains with many. "We have moved on, but can never forget," said Beglin.

And who could disagree with Neal's assessment that "On that night we should have cleared that stadium, remembered the dead and gone home."

Dara O'Briain, The Customs House, South Shields

AS three times host of Have I Got News For You and with regular appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Dara O'Briain's profile is growing. And deservedly so, if the reaction from the audience at South Shields is anything to go by. They knew what to expect from the fast-talking Celtic comic and they were not disappointed.

O'Briain comes across as extremely likeable and witty. He is incredibly polite and even if you're the butt of the joke, you can tell it is all in good humour.

Audience participation is high on O'Briain's agenda and the crowd is key to his act. He doesn't use props, catchphrases or gimmicks and his spontaneous humour is very much of the funny-bloke-down-the-pub style.

O'Briain doesn't really even do gags, rare for a good comedian, but tends to focus on taking the mickey out of people, his background and mainly himself. He discusses current affairs, giving the audience his perspective on recent events, so you can tell the material is as new as possible. He covered religion, politics, immigration and the state of Ireland today.

But you could see the sheer delight in his face when someone admitted they were "sick as a chip" because of the FA Cup final result, which saw Manchester United lose out on penalties.

O'Briain is an Arsenal supporter and to say he rubbed it in is an understatement.

Gavin Havery